The State of Male Character Creation

[Skivvy]

lol a male xaela
lemme guess you're 5'4" irl

Do me next! Guess what I am! I like this game.

[AxlStream]

Midlander - muscular male
Highlander - extra muscular male
Miqote - short muscular male
Elezen - lanky muscular male
Aura - lanky muscular male
Roe - ridiculously muscular male
Hrothgar - reskinned roe
Lalafell - potato

Wow so many diverse and unique options. Hrothgar really filled a niche that wasn't being satisfied before. There couldn't possibly be another race that would give them a chance to balance out the roster.

Erm.... in what world is midlander muscular? Mine is lean, sure but nobody would call that muscular, just lightly toned really.

[Roda]

Erm.... in what world is highlander muscular? Mine is lean, sure but nobody would call that muscular, just lightly toned really.

TH-THEIR /POSE IS LITERALLY A SERIES OF BODY BUILDING POSES, WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN MAN??? O_O

[AxlStream]

TH-THEIR /POSE IS LITERALLY A SERIES OF BODY BUILDING POSES, WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN MAN??? O_O

I can weight 300 pounds and still take "bodybuilding poses". We can't always be in the fetal position, crying our eyes out for a non existent problem.

[Roda]

I can weight 300 pounds and still take "bodybuilding poses". We can't always be in the fetal position, crying our eyes out for a non existent problem.

Right, but is this 300 pound you performing an emote that was literally supposed to summarize your character's entire design archetype in a few frames? /Pose is a race/gender summary. There's a reason why Lalafells don't flex on their pose and why Roegadyn don't make kitty paws.
"The Highlander name comes from the clan's history of dominion over the mountains of Gyr Abania. Compared to their Midlander brethren, the Highlanders are noticeably larger in build and musculature. Following the fall of their ancestral homeland of Ala Mhigo, many have sought refuge in the bustling mercantile nation of Ul'dah."
Straight from the official website.
"Highlanders are noticeably taller and more muscular than Midlanders, with full-grown men reaching towering heights of nigh eghty ilms. Some posit that the impressive highlander physique is the fruit of countless generations spent residing in harsh, unforgiving mountain climes, where the air is thin and each day a struggle for survival. Though some discount this theory, none can deny the physical prowess of the Highlanders greatly outstrips that of their Midlander cousins."
From the lorebook.
They are literally designed to be muscledudes....


Just cause you're not the widest man in the room doesn't mean you're not muscular....





Heeey!!! Post limit.

Wait hold on.... I see the issue... I typed highlander didn't I... I meant Midlander... herpaderp.

Sorry folks, fixed it now.

Well that was certainly a funny exchange.



NOW TO ARGUE THIS POINT!
Just because you're not the widest man in the room doesn't mean you're not muscular.
Starting off, I would say that the midlander pic above is definitely a muscular dude. If I saw him in real life I'd be like "yeah that dude lifts." Heck, If I saw a man with the minimum nipple slider look I would still think he's still got a substantial bit of muscle he's been working on, but just can't quite get his bodyfat low enough to get that "cut" look. And sure, he's not H*CKING RIPPED like a highlander or roe, but his mesh isn't exactly neglected in the chest, shoulders, or arms areas. It really comes down to how bodies display their muscles and how much fat is obscuring the definition.

[AxlStream]

Wait hold on.... I see the issue... I typed highlander didn't I... I meant Midlander... herpaderp.

Sorry folks, fixed it now.

[Wilford111]

oh woe is me. My guy characters are not girly. Wooe is meee.

[ErryK]

Cute males don't bring in sales, I guess.

[Iscah]

There's definitely a place for that short and slim body type, but I don't think it should be opposite the female Viera design that has now been implemented. They don't match well.

The "cute bunny boy" concept art that gets posted around also shows the female counterpart to that design - an equally cute bunny girl that we didn't get either.

The other concept art shows the tall elegant female Viera we did get, alongside the bulky warrior males that would probably have a modified Au Ra body shape if they were put in the game.

[MiraKershaw]

It is rumored that all male warriors of light awake from the hydilbolic time chamber before they start their adventure